Porcelain Mask
by CaptainRainbowSama
Summary: The world knew him as an overly happy and cheery person. A person who would never succumb to sadness, a person who would never be lonely. But what if all of that was fake? What if the only thing he did was wear a mask to cover his tear-streaked face? Threeshot.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello! This is going to be a short and fluffy Aomine/Kise three- shot! I'm taking a short break from the other stories and writing random fanfics like this one instead just to satisfy my fangirl instincts(I guess). Please R &R and tell me how it is! **

**~Sorako**

* * *

Kise Ryota felt like shit.

Practice this week was more aggressive than usual. Well, at least that is what the blonde thought. The Nationals was a week away, and his teammates, especially Kuroko, was looking forward to their first official tournament. Akashi also insisted, more like forced, everyone on coming to practice, and Kise did not want to disobey the redhead. So that's why he was going to practice even if it killed him.

Kise popped a couple fever reducers into his mouth and drank down water afterwards. He staggered out of the bathroom, swaying a little because of the throbbing headache. Sweat broke out on his forehead as he tried to walk across the sunny field towards his destination- the gym.

These few weeks had been rough for Kise. Many studios awaited his arrival, and he could earn quite a lot of money from those photo shoots. Apart from that, he still had those part-time jobs he did, almost for a living. His father was away doing his business outside of country, leaving him to live alone. Kise let out a long sigh. The sickness was probably caused by the stress that he had been through lately. _It's funny how much it can effect one's health..._ he thought.

"OII! KISE!"

The person who was being called winced at the loud greeting. Kise didn't want any of his friends to worry about him, nor see him in this state. The blonde turned around before pretending that he was fine with the mask that was perfected over years.

"Ah, Aominecchi! Going to practice?"

The blue- eyed teen ran towards him before strangling Kise with his arms.

"Hell, yeah! We're going to beat all those crappy players at the Nationals!"

Kise smiled weakly at the statement. He loved all his friends and didn't want to let them down. Another reason to why he was going to survive all the necessary practices in this state.

Only thirty minutes passed, and the they had only finished warming up. The headache that retreated when his was running came back and worse than ever. Kise stretched a little to lessen his muscles' pain and numbness before running back to his friends.

His mask was slowly cracking, revealing his vulnerable state. His movements got more and more sluggish as each moment passed, and at one point, the sharp pain from his head made him wanted to throw up. He knew he would black out soon if he didn't stop playing. But he didn't care.

"Kise."

"KISE!"A loud shout snapped him back to the present, and he raised his head to find Aomine looking down at him.

"Are you sick?"

Kise winced at the accusation. Was he slacking off that much that it was noticeable to the person who was the worst at picking up emotions? His body gave out for a second and he stumbled a bit, but immediately caught himself before he could fall.

"I'm fine" he lied smoothly.

Aomine did not buy that, and so did his other team members.

"I would prefer if you sit out over there fore a second. You look like you're could to fall over any moment." The redhead spoke.

"But-"

Akashi gave him a death stare.

Kise gulped and decided to follow his captain's command. He propped himself down on the benches before drinking down a few more tablets of medicine, hoping that it would help with the headaches that was attacking him constantly. The edge of his vision was tinged with darkness. Kise was struggling to keep himself upright even when he was sitting, and before he knew it, the pitch black darkness swallowed him whole.

* * *

Kise woke up blurry and disoriented. The first thing that he could make out was a person's blue eyes, staring directly at his golden ones.

That shook him awake.

"How long are you going to sleep, baka?! Practice ended a while ago and everybody already went home." A person's annoyed voice echoed around the large room. Kise's head throbbed painfully as he tried to process the information.

"A- Aominecchi? Why didn't you wake me up?"

A sigh was heard, and then the reply came. "I tried to, but you won't even budge."

Kise abruptly stood up and immediately regretted doing so. His vision fuzzed unexpectedly, making him sway to the side. His hand went to the wall for support, and he started walking, more like _limping,_ to the exit.

"I have to go!" Aomine looked at him, puzzled. "Serving in a restaurant, uh, part time jobs, I mean-"

A light kick to his legs from someone behind him made his knees buckled. Kise would fall onto the ground if his friend hadn't caught him.

"Baka" the ace mumbled under his breath. "How can you go around serving other people food when you can't even stand up on your own?"

Aomine picked Kise up, bridal style, and trudged towards the door. _Too light..._ He thought. Kise struggled to get out of his friend's hold, but no avail. The grip was too strong. The blonde let his weak body rest against Aomine's as he closed his eyes and once again, drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Aomine was truly worried, despite his 'I- Don't- Really- Care' face.

The blonde looked like he didn't sleep for days, judging from the dark bags under his eyes. His mouth was drawn in a tight line as if he was holding something back. The cheery aura he usually had was gone. His eyes _, yes,_ his eyes were red and puffy _...from crying?_ That was undeniable no matter how much he wanted to hide.

That was when he first suspected that something was off with his friend.

Secondly, Kise's smiles were so determinedly bright and cheerful that it could only be fake. He gave his friends an "I'm fine, don't worry" answer every time the he was told how pale and sickly he looked, and how he should go to the nurse. Aomine had to resist the urge to barge in every time the blonde said that and say _Shut that crap, Kise! You're obviously not fine and you're making me worried, dammit!_

And his fears were confirmed at noon. During lunch, Kise accidentally bumped into him before muttering an "I'm sorry" and headed off _without_ realizing _who_ he actually bumped into. It was just that moment when he could feel the heat radiating from the blonde's body when he was a few inches away from him. Kise's face was as pale as a sheet and a thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead. He was obviously sick. _I should've known not to let him practice then,_ he irritably thought. Aomine looked down at the blonde who was snuggling against his chest. Kise's right hand clutched a handful of Aomine's jacket. The ace almost dropped his friend when the blonde's fingers pried open his jacket, but other than that, he still showed no sign of waking up soon.

Aomine reached into Kise's backpack before fumbling around for the condo keys. Plugging the keys into their hole, he unlocked the door, and in front of him was Kise's room. Thanks to the adress on the name tag, he was able to find the blonde's condo. Aomine slipped off his shoes on the mats and flicked on the lights.

It was a stuffy, quite messy room. Instant noodles packages piled on the floor, forming a pyramid. Documents were scattered on the working desk placed at the end of the room, and flashy clothes were sprawled on top of the unmade bed. The room smelled worse than a polluted river, and Aomine wondered how often Kise laid his hand on a broom. The blue- eyed teen made the bed and cleared just enough clean space for a person to sleep and laid Kise, who was still sleeping, on the soft mattress. Aomine tucked the covers around his sleeping teammate. He gently brushed the hair off Kise's face and pressed his hand on the blonde's burning forehead. Aomine wasn't a doctor himself, and he didn't want to go around searching for medicines in a condo. Just as when he was about to stand up, a framed picture on the headstand of the bed caught his attention, and he reached his hand to pick it up.

Five people were staring directly at him, and one of the people in the picture was Kise, who looked like he was around 6. None of them were smiling, except from Kise, so he assumed that it was a formal family picture.

There were traces of water droplets on the glass frame.

 _Wait. Water droplets? Or perhaps... teardrops?_

"Nnn..."

A little voice coming from the boy that was finally coming to made him stop wondering. Aomine turned his head to see Kise, who was blinking rapidly when he saw Aomine and was opening his mouth to speak. However, no sound escaped his his lips. The ace saw that and immediately shushed the blonde.

"No need to speak. You'll hurt your throat." was what he said. Kise, who was amused at what his friend just spoke, thought to himself:

 _Was Aomine usually like that?_

On the other hand, Aomine, who realized how weird what he said was, felt a blush rising up his cheeks. An awkward silence covered the room, and he decided to break it.

"A- Anyways. I'm going home now. It's getting late." Kise nodded. "I assume you have your medicines?" Another nod. Aomine turned to leave but stopped halfway.

"I don't want to see you tomorrow at school." He saw Kise opened his mouth to protest. "Or at practice."

Well, _that_ shut Kise up.

Aomine's hand was on the doorknob and was about to turn it open if a voice hadn't stop him.

"Being bossy, I see." Kise teased. Aomine's hand frozed. Luckily, his back was turned on Kise, otherwise the blonde would see his tomato-red face. Annoyed and embarrassed, he quickly turned the doorknob and slammed the door shut, mumbling _I_ _diot Kise_ under his breath.

Kise's pale lips widened into a smile, and this one was genuine.

 **Please stay tuned for the next chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Flashbacks

**A/N: Okay, after disappearing for a couple of years (not that long but oh well), I came back from the dead ((this is the typical writer's saying, I'm just listing excuses)). Also, this story might as well have more than 3 chapters, it depends on your reviews, whether you want it or not! :D I'm sorry I took so long, I was kind of revising the plot ahahaha. *Don't kill me please expression+ puppy eyes***

 **Thanks to all my reviewers: Red Tomatoe, PanicTime123, Naomizuki, Rubyrose30, and also,** **thanks for every support, they meant a lot to me. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

 **~Sorako**

* * *

 _ **People could be so cruel and heartless sometimes.**_

Everything was so dark.

It wasn't the kind of darkness that makes you feel secured and calm, as if you're listening to the angel's lullaby, slowly luring you to sleep. It wasn't the kind of darkness that makes you feel suffocated, as if you're drowning and all the air was squeezed out of your lungs. It wasn't the kind of peaceful, tranquil darkness that makes you feel relaxed and at peace, nor it was the kind of darkness that embraced you, making you feel like you're floating in the middle of nowhere.

It's just...hollow. Empty. Blank. Unfathomable.

It's as if he's in a never ending maze, where none of the paths are the real way out.

 _"Kise-nii, how do we do this question?"_

 _The young boy sniffed as he slowly approached his older brother with his test paper, which were full of red marks. The brother, who looked exactly the same as his sibling despite the six years gap between the two, greeted the little boy with a huge smile and started to teach him._

 _The sad expression that his brother had when he first entered the room was gone, replaced by a happy and contented grin._

 _Who would know that helping someone in need would not be such a benefit to themselves?_

 _ **No matter how much I give them, it's always never enough.**_

In the darkness appeared the small speck of light. So small, yet so strong. And he's sure that it would lead him through, through what he's suffering from, through all his pain.

It was hope.

He was desperate, he really was. And so he chased after it.

He was panting. Hard. His legs feel like it was hooked to heavy chains, and his body feels like they were on fire. It was simply excruciating. But somehow, energy from something me unknown source kept him going.

 _"Reiji!"_

 _His younger brother's name faintly echoed throughout the empty street as Kise shouted. Thunder boomed above him as rain heavily poured down, drenching him from head to toe. His new pair of sports shoes were soaked with mud and water, which tainted the once white pair of shoes gray. The blonde did not care about that, though. Worry had completely taken over his mind._

 _"Where are you?!"_

 _Kise knew well that his brother was afraid of thunders. When Reiji was still young, he would always hide from them, whether it was under his bed, in his wooden cupboard, or inside his bedroom._

 _And it was_ always Kise _who founded him._

 _But at the moment, it seemed like there's no place for him to take cover._

 _It was almost midnight when Kise saw his little brother beside an old brick house, burying his face in the privacy of his palms, sobbing._

 _Overhead him a thunder strike, and Reiji, who didn't know that his brother was there, screamed._

 _Two pair of strong arms quickly pulled him into an embrace, and despite the cold rain that was still pouring, it felt warm._

 _It felt like home._

 _ **The person he loved the most made him cried the most, too.**_

It was so far away.

The light, that is. No matter how fast he ran or how much effort he put into chasing it, no matter how much he cried, begging for someone to help him, the light wouldn't wait for him; moreover went even farther. The gap wasn't closing at all.

All he wanted was to get closer to it, to escape his nightmare, but no one was helping him.

No one.

" _Hurry, hurry!" Kise shouted, lightly shaking his sleeping brother. "At this rate, we're going to be late!"_

" _Hai, hai" came the irritated reply. The boy rolled over so that his back was facing Kise before throwing the fluffy blanket over his head. He was absolutely out of it today._

" _Mou, aren't you excited? We're going to your favorite amusement park!"_

 _The little boy yawned. "Kise-nii, I know that."_

" _Then get up, Reiji!"_

" _But-"_

" _But what?"_

" _It's not going to be fun…" he muttered softly under his breath. "Because you'll be paying attention to you fans, not me."_

" _What did you say?"_

 _The reply was immediate. "Nothing."_

 _Though he clearly heard what his younger brother said, he asked it again, yet received no answer._

 _Not because he wanted to make sure or confirm the fact, but it was just because he didn't want to believe that the little boy lying in front of him actually said that._

 _Because he didn't want to believe that his beloved younger brother's slowly growing apart from him._

 _ **What were they called again? Fairy tales? True love stories?**_

 _ **I'm sorry, but I never know them.**_

 _ **Why is that?**_

He was tired. Too tired.

His body were betraying him. Well, everything pretty much did.

Since when did the gods became so cruel?

Before he knew it, he was on the ground, beating his own legs, begging for them to move. Hot, crystal tears fell from his eyes and were absorbed immediately the moment they hit the ground.

He wished that he could be a child again. He wished that his mother was here, handing him her hand and pulling him up, hugging him tightly as he cried while saying encouraging things to calm him down.

"You're okay Kise."

"We're going to try that again, alright?"

"Could you stand up?"

"You can do it! You're my little boy, after all."

He wished that she would be here, helping him when he fell.

But she wasn't.

Maybe he should stop.

 _"Kise-nii."_

 _The one who was called averted his gaze from the bright computer screen before turning his chair around, smiling, only to find his brother standing nervously at the door._

 _"What is it, Reiji?"_

 _"Tou-san told me..." he hesitated a little, giving Kise an unfamiliarly cold stare before continuing. "That the teachers sent mails to him about how you're missing tests and slacking off during class, and how your grades weren't at the level that he expected this past semester."_

 _"Oh, that…?" The tired-looking blonde gave his sibling a sheepish_ _grin_. _"Tou-san said I'm old enough to start paying my condo's rental fee, and the only way that's going to work is to start part time jobs…" Kise paused for a second, wondering what he should say next. "Things aren't that easy for me. I'm sorry, Reiji."_

 _"That's not funny, Kise-nii," the frustrated boy shouted. "Tou-san said you can't do that! He said that you must keep up both your work and studies! He said you must be my model!" He clutched his shirt. "But are you? Are you really acting like you're supposed to?"_

" _Please don't use that tone, Reiji. I'm your big brother, so we can talk it out, okay?"_

" _Why?!" The little boy seemed to not have heard. "Why must everyone call me that?! Everywhere I go, it's always 'Kise's brother this, Kise's brother that.'" He sobbed. "Why is it that people remembered someone like you but not me?"_

 _So it's my fault..?_

" _You don't know…do you? I always got blamed for the things you did. Every time your friends saw me, they always say something like 'Hey, isn't that the famous Kise Ryota's brother? I heard Kise failed his math test. Are you any better?'" He said, giving Kise a teary, heartbreaking expression. "And they would just laugh at me. Where were you when I went through all of that? It's all YOUR fault! But you still haven't noticed..." He brought his hand up, wiping his tear-stained eyes with his sleeves._

" _Reiji, I-"_

" _And you've turned... Into someone I can't remember anymore. Where is he..?" His voice faltered. "My smart, kind, gentle brother that I respected? My brother that always help me with things? Who was always there protecting me? I forget all of it now… ever since you've been a model, ever since you've been forgetting and ignoring me."_

 _I was..?_

 _He really didn't mean to say that last part, but it just slipped out._

 _"I-I don't find you worthy to look up to anymore, Kise-nii..."_

 _And so he left._

 _ **Is it because I'm just not good enough,**_

 _ **Or is it because someone like me doesn't deserved to be loved?**_

It was slowly blinking now. The light, that is. As if it was going to get swallowed by the darkness any moment.

But it wasn't that surprising though. The light and the dark never belonged together.

Kise was the light. He's joyful and happy and loud. He's dazzling and bright, just like the sun.

So it's possible to just let darkness overwhelmed him, so that he could disappear into the air, as if he never existed, so that he could escape everything, right…?

Kise slowly drew a shaky breath, taking less and less as moment passed, ignoring his lungs that were screaming for air, thumping harshly against his ribcage. Black spots danced in front of his opened eyes, leaving his sight a while later, replacing with dizziness instead. His ears were ringing now, sharp and high-pitched, as if he was sitting next to a boiling jar of hot water that was waiting to be turned off. His eyelids felt so heavy, and so he let them drop, succumbing to his will.

And then there was nothing.

" _I've had enough."_

 _A loud, clear voice that certainly belonged to a male echoed throughout the dining room. At one end of the glassy table sat his father, staring thoughtfully at Kise, who was standing opposite at him._

" _I gave you more than enough time, Ryouta," the middle-aged man slowly spoke. "I will not have my son be a hindrance to me. Yes, I know you love modelling, and you earned money from it." He paused, glancing at Kise, who quickly averted his gaze to the marble floor. "But it's not enough. You're old enough to do more than that, both taking care of your own things while helping with family affairs. My business isn't going so well, and I expect you to be helpful, instead of creating trouble and fight with your own family members."_

 _There was silence as they both looked at each other as if they were trying to read each other's mind. Then the blonde spoke up._

" _I understand, Tou-san," Kise approached. "But modelling takes up most of my after school time, and I still have basketball practice. A tournament's coming-"_

" _Basketball again, huh?" His father stood up angrily, knocking his chair over. The object harshly crashed down to the floor with a 'thud!' Yet, none of them bothered to pick it up. "When will you learn to stop being selfish and help other people? I asked for straight A's, and you can't get them. I asked you to behave, and you still can't do that. Now, I'm just asking for you to help with things, and you still denied me. Can't you just be like Reiji?! Look at him, he's younger than you, yet he's got better grades and is always on task. He's-"_

" _You always sided with him," Kise muttered. "It's all because it's me, isn't it? Because I'm just a nuisance added to your already perfect family. Because if I died that day, Kaa-san wouldn't be forced to adopt me, someone who shouldn't even be alive. You said so yourself, that I'm an unlucky charm that only bought terrible luck for everyone, and I should make up for every trouble I caused. You've taken everything I love away, and now you're trying to take basketball away from me too. But you still think that nothing's your fault, instead, it's all fucking mine-"_

 _Hot, searing pain flared on his right cheek as his head snapped back at the force of the other individual's hand on his skin, leaving a dark patch of red. Kise dropped his head in defeat, making his bangs fell down, covering his shimmering golden eyes that were now tearing up._

" _Language," the man snarled. "And I do not want to hear you mention that woman ever again. She's not even your real mother, yours was long dead. As for my former wife, it's her fault in the first place that she cheated on me, so I had to drive her out."_

 _'Because you're a son of a bitch...' Kise thought, clenching his fists. Tears were threatening to escape his eyes, and he was desperately trying to hold them back._

" _And if this story ever goes out, or if you show anyone your pathetic emotions, even if it's a little glimpse of what you feel, hear me that there will be severe punishment."_

 _Even though Kise felt the urge to oblige the man, the only choice he had that would grant him safety would be to agree._

 _A single tear rolled down his bruised cheek and he bit his lip, hard, to prevent himself from crying anymore. But it was no use._

" _Y-Yes… Father."_

 _When the door shut loudly, provng that the man actually left, Kise tiredly fell onto his knees, feeling all the strength in his body dispersing into nothing. Another moment and he laid, completely crumpled on the floor, his face in his hands, body convulsing up and down as he let the rest of the tears fall._

 _It seemed like he had to use that pitiful mask again._

 _ **Because no matter how depressed I am,**_

 _ **I could always cover it up with my porcelain mask.**_

 ** _That way, I could act the same, being the 'too happy guy' and all,_**

 ** _Even though I'm only a shell of who I once was,_**

 ** _No one,_**

 ** _No one would know._**

* * *

"Daiki"

"Hn?"

"Where's Ryouta?"

"Hn?"

"I asked: Where's Ryouta?, and get up already, practice's starting."

The ace groaned as he lazily pulled himself up, rubbing his eyes groggily before replying.

"Why, Akashi? Do I look like I'm his personal guardian?"

A sigh was heard as he stood up, brushing off the dust that was stuck to his shirt from sleeping on the concrete floor. Aomine was about to shove his blue phone into the pocket of his pants when he realized that the screen was still showing the message that he had not yet send to the blonde. He couldn't help it- he was too sleepy.

 _'Oi, Kise, I'm gonna come to your condo today after practice, K? Open up.'_

The bluenett pressed 'send' and dropped the object into his pocket, turning his attention back to the person in front of him. Akashi then continued,

"You two looked close, that's all."

"Hm."

Despite his nonchalant reply, Aomine turned his head to the side because he was involuntary blushing, desperately trying to cover up his mistake with a stretch that was accompanied by a long yawn. At least _he tried to._

"So you know, Daiki?"

"I-I never said I do," he stuttered, avoiding his captain's piercing gaze. "Well, he was sick when I took him home yesterday though."

"You took him home?"

The bluenett groaned, feeling embarrassed to tell Akashi all that, so he would just make it short.

"As in, _I_ _walked Kise home."_

Akashi simply glared at him as they walked to the gym. "How bad was it?"

"You mean his fever? Well, he was literally burning up that day, so I told him not to come to school today."

"I see," Akashi softly spoke, glancing at his watch before pushing the handle of the gym door. Aomine poked his head in, slowly taking in the familiar environment as he stepped inside the court. The ace saw flashes of green and purple and immediately recognized who they were when the they turned to him, awkwardly waving in his direction.

For many years, the Teikou basketball court had been his second house, apart from the actual place he lived at. The sound of the buzzer going off, signalling that the game was now over, the squeaky sounds of basketball shoes rubbing against the smooth floor of the gym, to the sound of basketballs being dribbled, bouncing on the court. Aomine clearly remembered it all. The usually blank basketball court became alive and vivid when _they_ played on it, laughing and enjoying the game.

Before he knew it, he already spent most of his time here in this court with other members of the GoM- perhaps he stayed here even longer than he did in his house.

Aomine could dare say that the basketball court, with everyone on it, was his home.

But now…

Even if he called the building his home,

...it was nothing more than a simple house.

 _Without Kise._

* * *

 _ **-Next Chapter: Kise's backstory-**_

 **Please leave a review on your way out! Thank you!**


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